Orphan Fraud
by Tashilover
Summary: After a boring night of crime fighting, Darkwing comes home only to find his house in flames. Unable to explain his strange behavior, child welfare services deems Drake Mallard unfit and takes away Gosalyn.
1. Fire

A/N: I really shouldn't start another fic…but…mahahaha. 

Quick note: It's been years since I last saw a DW episode, but still love it. So please excuse my lack of memory of the show and enjoy.

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The stone gargoyle that sat next to Darkwing had its tongue sticking out and its eyes cross. For some odd reason, there was gum stuck between its toes and the aged cracks that ran down its back spelled out the name "Greg."

Darkwing sighed. He had been staring at this gargoyle for the past two hours. At first, he thought the gargoyle was the ugliest thing in the world. Now, that he spent two hours studying its features, he deemed the cold inanimate creature to be a friend. A real ugly friend.

He WAS supposed to be waiting for Bushroot. Darkwing had heard a rumor that the half bush, half duck was going to rob a greenhouse nursery. Knowing that Bushroot like nights where no one could see him, Darkwing got to the nursery early, just as the summer sun went down at nine o' clock. And waited.

And waited.

And…waited.

And finally at eleven…came to the conclusion that the rumor was just as it is. A rumor.

Groaning, Darkwing leaned against old Greg, feeling very stupid and incredibly bored. He should probably wait one more hour, just to be sure, but his gut told him it would be pointless. If Bushroot wasn't coming…he wasn't coming.

Two hours earlier, the unmasked duck had to beg his young daughter to stay home and…stay home.

"But Daaaaaaaad…" Gosalyn whined, "I wanna see you use your new entrance line and Launchpad's new weapon and-"

"And no 'buts' Gos," Drake Mallard told his daughter. "I told you once; I told you a million times, it's too dangerous for a little girl like you. I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt!" The young girl insisted, bouncing around her father's tall figure. "Besides, most of the bad guys you fight couldn't hit the side of a barn, let alone me! So can I go? Pleeeeeeease?"

"No."

"But-"

"No! And that's final!" And with that, Drake scooped up his daughter, placed her on the couch right next to Launchpad and placed his arms on his hips. "You're going to stay here, watch some TV with Launchpad and then go to bed. No ands, ifs, or buts about it or you're grounded."

"But-"

Drake glared his daughter down. Seeing her father's raised eyebrow, Gosalyn crossed her arms and leaned into the couch stubbornly. "Fine," She muttered, letting Launchpad's arm go over her shoulder.

"Heh, don't worry DW," Launchpad reassured his friend and turned on the TV. "Dracula and I will watch over Gos while you're gone." As soon as he said that, a scream from the movie erupted, gaining his attention. Gosalyn stared at the black and white movie, still with the annoyed look on her face, determined not to enjoy herself.

Drake kissed Gosalyn on the head and said to her, "Don't watch too many horror movie, okay? I don't want to come home to find you guys barricading yourselves in the kitchen like last time."

Annoyed with Bushroot and with himself, Darkwing retook his position next to Greg. Even though all he wanted to do was go home and watch rated-B horror movies with Gosalyn.

"Wished I stayed home." He whispered to himself, unknowing how true his words would become.

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The rain pounded on the windows outside, hitting the glass so fiercely that Cassandra feared it might break. The occasion lighting flash illuminated her dark home, forming distorted shadows and shapes.

"Hello?" The young woman spoke into the dark. "Is anyone there?"

The rain splatter came her only response. Cassandra took a deep breath and kept walking quietly through her house, not noticing the dark figure coming up behind her. Another flash of lighting reflected off the metal edge of the axe as it raised high in the air. A quick powerful swipe and Cassandra's head came off.

"EWWWW!" Gosalyn squealed delightfully. "He chopped off her head! That was so cool!"

After Dracula ended, Gosalyn convinced Launchpad to watch her secret collection of horror movies. Among the pile on top of the coffee table, laid titles like "Killer Babies" - "Stab and slash" and "GORE."

If there was a plot line among the list, Launchpad will never know. As soon as one movie was over, Gosalyn would pop in another movie and fast forward to the suspenseful parts. So for the past hour, Launchpad had watched over fifteen movies, only watching scenes where people were decapitated, stabbed, burned, run over, hanged, mutilated and eaten. So for the past hour, he had been hiding behind a pillow.

"Gosalyn, please, can we watch something else?" He begged, holding the pillow up to block his view point.

"Sure!" Gosalyn said enthusiastically, searching through her many movies. "How 'bout…Flesh Eaters of Planet X?"

"Ughh…" Launchpad moaned, digging his face even further into the pillow.

"Aw, stop being such a baby!" Gosalyn told him, slapping him on the back. "If you don't want to watch, why don't you cook some of that frozen pizza we have in the freezer?"

"You feel like eating?" Launchpad said dumfounded.

"Of course," Goaslyn told him, fast forwarding to another blood splatter scene. "I always get hungry when I watch my favorite movies."

Not knowing whether to be amazed or thoroughly disgusted, Launchpad gratefully got up from the couch and went to the kitchen.

In the freezer, like Gosalyn said, laid five super deep dish pizzas. Grabbing one, Launchpad proceeded to preheat the oven, strip the pizza of its wrappings and stuffed it inside the oven.

"Launchpad, come quickly! It's a human sacrifice scene!"

"Ughhhh…" Launchpad groaned and left the kitchen.

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At twelve-thirty, Darkwing decided to call it a night. Bushroot was not going to show his green face and DW felt even stupider for staying an extra half hour.

Drake made sure he did not come home through the hidden passageways of his house. If he knew Gosalyn, every light in the house will be on and every door way will be booby trap. It'll be safer to knock and walk through the front door rather than getting risk getting knocked over the head with a bucket.

The walk home was leaning between being pleasant and being very uncomfortable. The night was clear and fine, the moon shining high above, giving much more light than any street lamp could ever do. On the other hand, so much humidity floated in the air, making it very hard to breath. Within a few minutes, Drake was sweating underneath his vest, the fabric sticking to his back.

Despite that, Drake felt very content as he walked down the familiar neighborhood. He chose to live this neighborhood five years before he adopted Gosalyn. The streets were clean; the people were nice…perfect place to raise a family.

A loud screaming sound wheeled past him, two police cars flew down the streets with their lights on.

Well…almost perfect. Drake knew there were a few renegade adolescents who sometimes break windows and leave burning brown paper bags on front porches. But none of those misdemeanors would be considered bad enough to call the police. Drake walked faster.

Watching the flashing lights turn the corner, Drake made the mental note from the end of that street; a right took them into his neighborhood. As soon as the lights disappeared from his view, he looked to the sky to concentrate where the sound of the sirens were going. That was when he saw the smoke.

Out in a full blown sprint, Drake could feel his fear rising by every step. He knew the police cars took a right and he knew they were going down near his house.

Let it be another house…please.

The fire that erupted from his home was brighter than the street lights or the moon. Firefighters surrounded his two story house, holding long hard fire hoses, pumping the burning inferno with hundred gallons of water. Neighbors crowded around at a safe distance, holding their nightgowns tightly as they watched.

"Gosalyn!" Drake began screaming, running past the confused neighbors, pushing his way through. "GOSALYN!"

Through the bodies of the police and firemen, Drake desperately searched through the masses, looking for familiar faces. "Launchpad!" He cried out, coming up to his old friend.

Launchpad looked like hell. Half of his body was smoking, ash and soot covered his face. Paramedics were all over him, wrapping his arms in gauze and washing off the soot. He looked up, saw Drake and smiled. "Hey D," He said without any hardship. "Uh…sorry about your house."

"Forget about that!" Drake cried out relieved. If Launchpad was this calm, that meant Gosalyn was fine. "What happened? Are you okay? Where's Gosalyn?" All the questions came out in a rush, a panic attack ready to happen.

"Well-ow!" Launchpad began, wincing as the nurse whoto tended to him handed his arm roughly. "I don't know how the fire started, but I think I must've left a pizza in the oven. I'm fine, just a few scratches from falling over. And Gosalyn is over there, talking to that nice woman." Launchpad pointed and Drake followed his finger to a black car parked not far away. Sitting in the back passenger seat, Gosalyn talked to a tall woman in black.

"Gosalyn!" Drake yelled out, running towards the car. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

Gosalyn looked up, smiled and before she could utter a word, the tall woman she was speaking to suddenly slam the car door.

She wouldn't let Drake through. She stood between him and Gosalyn, blocking his daughter from view.

"Are you Drake Mallard?" She demanded.

"Uh, yes I am," Drake said confused, unable to get around the woman.

"I'm Elizabeth Griffin," She spoke harshly, holding out a small golden badge. "I'm a child welfare officer."

Drake's blood turn cold. He stopped trying to move around the tall woman and listen.

"Where were you tonight?" She asked him, putting away her badge.

Drake quickly thought out his options. "I was with a friend."

"Till past midnight?"

Drake didn't like where this was going. "It was an old friend."

"And you thought fit to leave your nine year old daughter with your 'other' friend?"

"Launchpad is a very reliable person. Why are you asking all these questions?" Drake demanded, feeling his anxiety reaching its breaking point.

"You mean it isn't obvious?" Ms. Griffin spoke coldly to him. "Your nine year old daughter was caught in a fire, her guardian gone till past midnight, only to be left home alone with a man who is obviously not suited to take care of a child. Mr. Mallard, I'm charging you with neglect and endangerment."

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A/N: Hee hee hee! Boy, have I miss this series!

Anyhoo, R/R!


	2. Trial

It felt weird, being on this side of the court room. To be wearing the brown suit he bought two years ago, to have his feathers combed back in a boring fashion, to have a lawyer.

Of course, Drake didn't need one. He knew enough of the law to represent himself, but, Drake Mallard knows nothing of the law. He does not know the whole Constitution by heart, he does not own fifty-five law books…he is the average everyday guy.

"Don't worry Mr. Mallard," His lawyer, Reynolds told him. "You've done nothing wrong and I'll prove that today."

Drake frowned. His lawyer had a thick Southern drawl that made it difficult to understand him. Worse, Reynolds was wearing a brown suit that looked like something out of an seventies movie.

Launchpad spoke for him. "What did you just say?"

Was the courtroom always this big? Drake had to use his handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his palms and his forehead. He had never felt so nervous in his life. "I'm scared Launchpad," Drake told his friend. "What if I lose Gosalyn?"

Launchpad was in dressed in a nice blue suit but kept his signature goggles on his head. He smiled confidently. "Don't worry D," He said to him. "You've done nothing wrong and you'll be proven that."

"I just said that," Lawyer Reynolds growled at him.

"Uh? You say something?"

The doors to the court room flew open so violently that they slammed into the walls with a loud bang. Three people entered. The first, Ms. Griffin, the fierce looking child welfare officer. Besides her, a tall dark man Drake didn't know. And clutched in his hand, he held Gosalyn's small wrist.

"Gosalyn!" Drake cried out, stepping forward.

Gosalyn looked like she had been forced to eat liver and onions for she had a sour look upon her face. Probably because the dress Ms. Griffin made her wear was pink and purple. When she caught sight of her father, her whole face lit up. "Dad!"

She too strode forward towards him, but stopped when the man holding her kept his hard grip. Drake was stopped when Ms. Griffin stepped between them.

"Take another step and I'll be forced to have you arrested," Ms. Griffin growled at him. "You're not allowed to have any contact with the child."

Drake narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not very popular, are you?"

"Not with second-hand parents," She retorted, pushing herself around him. The man and Gosalyn followed suit, the man forcing Gosalyn to take the farthest way around Drake.

The next twenty minutes were antagonizing. Each time Drake leaned from his spot on the defense table to catch Gosalyn's eye, his eyes caught Ms. Griffin's instead. His lawyer whispered encouraging words in his ears, but he didn't understand a damn thing he said. He could have easily gotten a higher priced lawyer, but Drake Mallard didn't make that much money to afford one.

Why was he sacrificing his child for his identity? That thought alone almost made him cry.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Pepper."

Drake stood up, carefully watching the Judge walk in. Pepper was middle age, tall and very muscular. He looked like he could eat and spit metal if he wanted. Drake knew most of the Judges of precinct, but this Pepper was new. He is supposedly a specialist for child related cases.

"All sit," Judge Pepper said in a deep voice, placing on his nose gold rimmed glasses. "This court will now acknowledge Drake Mallard vs. CWS. Mr. Mallard, on the charges of neglect and endangerment, how do you plea?"

Drake stood. "Not guilty."

"All right," Pepper said, putting down the papers he held in his hand. "Ms. Griffin, your opening statement."

Drake had heard it all before. After all, he had sat as witness in many cases. As Drakwing of course. He silently went through the motions, playing out the scene. Ms. Griffin was putting up a hard fight, showing she had done this many times. But despite that, Reynolds and his hard hearing voice was holding his own. He was showing to be a competent lawyer. Each side had its' own strong points and weak points, but Drake could see the case was becoming near a stalemate conclusion. The judge would have no other choice but to make the fire a mis-coincidental event and that it was unavoidable.

"As my next witness," Griffin said in a tired tone. "I like to call Mr. Drake's friend, Launchpad."

Drake watch Launchpad get up and walked to the seat beside the judge. Drake felt nervous. Of course, he and Reynolds had gone over the possible questions Launchpad could be asked and possible answers he could respond with. Drake knew he could trust his friend…but…Launchpad wasn't exactly smart.

Still. What kind of questions could Griffin ask him he had already thought of?

"How long have you known Mr. Mallard?" Griffin asked Launchpad.

"Oh, many years," Launchpad said in a proud voice. "We're very close friends."

Drake began to feel very uncomfortable. Something about Griffin's tone of questioning arose a suspicion emotion Drake could not identify.

"And you live with Mr. Drake?" Griffin continued.

"Sometimes I sleep over. Gosalyn likes it when we have a huge pizza party."

And as if Reynolds sensed Drake's fear, he stoop up quickly and asked the Judge, "Your honor…what's the point Ms.Griffin is trying to prove?"

"Ms. Griffin," The Judge ordered, "Your point."

"Are you just friends with Mr. Mallard," Griffin asked Launchpad, acting like she didn't hear the Judge. "Or much more?"

Then Drake realized what she was trying to say. He turned to Reynolds to have him do something, but it was too late. The damage was done.

"Oh, much more!" Launchpad said with a big smile, thinking he was helping. "We're very close, D' and I. We're like this!" He emphasized, holding up two fingers intertwined.

"NO WE'RE NOT!" Drake yelled out, unable to help himself. His world was crumbling apart and he could see the future. "Your honor, sir, please. It's not like that-"

"Hold your tongue, Mr. Mallard," The Judge snapped at him, banging his gavel. "In light of these new circumstances, I'm afraid I have no choice."

"No!"

"In the case of Drake Mallard vs CWS, I am forced to have Gosalyn placed with the Welfare Services and the adoption contract between her and Mr. Mallard is void. This case is adjourned."

Drake felt his world crumbling away. He had to hold onto the desk in front of him or else he feared he might faint.

"DAD!"

Gosalyn broke through the social worker's grip, running up to her father to grab him at the legs. Drake quickly scooped up his daughter and held her tightly.

The moment was short lived. Drake felt Gosalyn being torn away from his grip, watching as her soft young face was hidden behind the large shoulders of the social. "Dad!" Gosalyn cried out. "Don't let them take me away! Dad!"

Drake stepped forward, an instinct to help when he was stopped by Griffin. "You come within twenty meters of Gosalyn and I'll have you arrested."

Gosalyn's cries were still heard even after she left the courtroom, crying out for her father's help.

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Although the fire had took much of the house, several rooms were still left standing with burnt remains. The supporting beams were unscathed by the hot flames, leaving Drake with the option of rebuilding the outer inner walls or selling.

Gosalyn's room was one of the few that was half destroyed. All the posters she had on her wall were now reduced to dust, and all the items that were left on her floor (and there were a lot) are now nothing but piles of ash.

Drake leaned against the frame of the door only to have it crumble and collapse under his weight. Inside the room, he tried desperately to not step on the charred items which proved impossible. On the singed bed, Drake picked up Gosalyn's cracking burnt teddy bear, pieces of it falling off at a moment's touch.

"D," Launchpad said quietly from the incarcerated doorway. "I'm sorry…If I was more responsible- if I was keeping more of an eye on Gos-"

"Launchpad," Drake said in a sad whisper. "Go away."

Launchpad fell silent. For a moment, his hulking silhouette didn't move, then he said, "Alright, D. I'll…I'll see you at the tower."

Drake wasn't satisfied. "No Launchpad. I don't want to see you at the tower. I don't want to see you ever again."

"D…" Launchpad begged, reaching out to touch him. "Don't do this."

"I lost my daughter," Drake told him, turning to face him for the very first time. "All because you couldn't keep an eye on the oven.

"Go away Launchpad. I never want to see you again."

Without another word or look, Launchpad left. And in a ruined room, in a ruined house, Drake sat on the mangled bed and held the teddy bear close to his heart.

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A/N: Happy New Year guys! (This is not the end! More to come!)

Anyhoo, R/R!


	3. Choice

There was much to be done. Even if he didn't want to do them.

First, there was a matter of his house. He had to decide whither to rebuild his home or to tear it down. If he decided to tear it down, Drake would have to go through many, many channels to keep Darkwing under wraps. How do you explain to a bunch of construction workers that there's a secret underground lair? How do you explain the rooms that are not on the blueprints?

If he chose to rebuild, there was a matter of the public eye.

People didn't trust him anymore. People didn't want him in the neighborhood anymore. Even his odd founded friendship with the Muddlefoots had been tarnished. During the days when Drake was scavenging through his ruined home, he had noticed that Honker had been staring at him through his bedroom window.

Drake waved to him. Honker looked back into his room as if a loud noise had caught his attention. Honker suddenly closed the blinds. A moment later, the blinds reopened and Mr. Muddlefoot stared through.

The two neighbors looked at each other without resentment or hatred. Mr. Muddlefoot, however, closed the blinds without a wave or a fist shake. In the eyes of Darkwing, he had no idea what that could have meant. It could mean anything. It could mean nothing.

Then there was dealing with Ms. Griffin, the stick-up-her-ass social worker. She had came by the house several times, picking up Gosalyn's clothes, school books, a few toys, birth certificate, and doctor papers. When Drake inquired about Gosalyn, Griffin sniffed at him, "That isn't your concern anymore."

Drake wanted to hit her for mentioning Gosalyn as a "that."

Then there was Darkwing. Crime doesn't take vacations and Darkwing shouldn't suddenly disappear. The crime bosses would have a field day. Usually, sometimes, Drake would take a night off for a parent-teacher meeting, a school play, or just wanting to stay home and chill. But ever since the trial, it seemed crime had suddenly wanted to pull overtime. Three times in one night, he had to stop a bank robbery…from the same bank.

And tonight was no different.

Apparently, there was a new supervillian in town. He called himself, "Ying-Yang, the master of all Chi."

Darkwing thought the name was highly inappropriate.

"Ying-Yang" wore a red kung-fu outfit with the ying-yang symbol upon it and wore very thick black glasses. He carried a cliché array of weapons, weapons like a katana, nunchucks, a bo staff and sais. He was short, he was ugly, and he looked as if he was beaten one too many times in high school.

Oddly enough, this fool was a master of martial arts. And he knew how to use his stolen iconic weapons very, very well.

Before the battle had started, Darkwing lost his hat to a flying sai. The trident like dagger had plucked his hat off, nearly missing his eye and then impaled itself into a wall.

"Very good!" Ying Yang laughed. "Not many people can avoid my flying sais of death!"

Darkwing could feel a trickle of blood run down his forehead. He went into a fighter stance, ignoring the stinging pain of the cut on his crown.

"What? No retort?" Said Ying Yang as he slowly paced around Darkwing. "No fancy insult? I heard you were the talkative type."

"I'm not very talkative, tonight," Darkwing growled. "Let's just get this over with."

"Fair enough," Ying Yang pulled out his lone katana sword and charged.

Yang swung the sword with deadly accuracy and Darkwing was having a hell of a time trying to dodge. Should he dare to try to punch or kick him, he could risk losing a limb.

Yang suddenly dropped low, swung the katana, swiping at Darkwing's exposed legs. Darkwing jumped over him, reached down in an effort to grab a weapon from Yang's back.

He accidentally grabbed his glasses instead.

He landed, cursing himself for missing. He twisted around, expecting to avoid another onslaught of blades only to find that Yang was on his knees.

"Where is it?" He mumbled, touching the ground. "Where are they?"

Darkwing looked at the glasses he held.

_You've got to be kidding me…_

Yang's groping hands fumbled around, hoping his hands would suddenly touch the familiar frames he's worn since third grade. His hands struck something else: a foot.

"Looking for these?" Darkwing held up the frames.

Yang smiled. "Yes. Can I have them back?"

Darkwing responded by kicking him in the face.

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It was known as the hottest day of the year. There were reports coming from all over the city that people were fainting from heat stroke. Local stores have started helping with the cause by giving out free water bottles to the public. Unfortunately for the children at St. Canard orphanage, their funding for a new air condition fell through. Their current AC machine refused to work that particular day. With no AC, the children were forced outside where most of them spent the day underneath the shades of the trees. It was too hot to play.

Gosalyn was able to find a lone tree by herself. In a heap of sweat, she collapsed underneath it's shade. "I'm melting…" She moaned to herself. "Melting…"

And as if the tree was listening to her whines, a cold water bottle fell from it's branches and landed neatly in her hand.

"What the-?" Gosalyn muttered, seeing the bottle. She looked up into the tree and saw two familiar eyes looking down at her.

"DAD!"

"Shhhhhhhhh!" Darkwing placed a finger over his beak. "I'm not dad, I'm Darkwing Duck at the moment." He jumped out of the tree, landing next to his daughter.

As soon as he landed, Gosalyn grabbed him around the waist and hugged him. The momentum threw both off balance and they landed smiling against the tree trunk. "Oh, Dad," Gosalyn muttered against his chest. She then looked up to him and scowled. "You big jerk! How come it took you so long to see me?"

"I tired to visit you earlier," He told her, still smiling. "I thought that snake woman Griffin placed you with a foster family. What happened?"

Gosalyn quickly looked away. She said something incoherently.

"What was that?" Her father raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear."

"I was playing ball in the house and broke some stupid expensive vase."

"Gos-"

"It was ONE vase! One! And that crazy couple was screaming as if I broke every vase in their house!"

Darkwing placed a hand over his eyes. The parent inside of him wanted to reprimand her. He decided against it. He hadn't seen her in almost two weeks.

"Gosalyn!"

A woman's voice came around the corner. "That's the headmistress," Gosalyn said to Darkwing.

"I better go," Darkwing climbed back up into the tree. "I'll visit you tonight."

"Pinky promise?" Gosalyn shoved up her hand towards him.

"Promise," He linked the small finger together with hers. "Love you."

"Gosalyn?" The headmistress appeared on the scene. "There you are, girl. We got the AC going. Come inside."

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Darkwing did not leave immediately. One reason was because he fainted from the heat and hung limply in the tree for about an hour. The other reason was…well, because he didn't want to leave Gosalyn just yet.

After recovering from his unexpected heat stroke, Darkwing watched his daughter from a distance.

What is the right thing to do? What is the wrong thing to do?

In all, there are fifty-nine orphans. Different ages, different races, different genders. Gosalyn was one of the youngest of the kids. There are four other kids near, or her age, seven toddlers and nine babies. The rest of the orphans are teenagers. Quite a few of them looked to be almost of age.

The kids had lunch. School was taught by hired tutors and by the older orphan teenagers. The orphanage had no luxuries like video games, standard sport equipment or even fluffy toilet paper. After school, the kids helped with chores and for the rest of the night, they did whatever they wanted to do.

Gosalyn helped with changing diapers, wrote notes for kid who cannot write for themselves and even helped with chores without a fuss.

Life as an orphan is not glamorous. It is humble. It teaches kids to know what pain is. Most kids here will grow up to lead simple lives.

From his hidden corner, Darkwing began fingering one of his many buttons on his costume. His eyes narrowed in deep thought.

Since Gosalyn came into his life, her life has been in constant danger. How many times had she been in the jaws of evil? Her and her friends? How often did he miss a recital, a meeting or even pizza night because he was out battling such evil? Her curiosity could lead her to greater and bigger things. Instead, she was more focus on the criminal mind. He did not want her to grow up as a vigilante.

With that, Darkwing decided. If he wanted to protect her, to give her a happy, normal life, he had to give her up.

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A/N: Really sorries that it took me so many months to update again. I have not abandoned this fic, I'm just really, really lazy. Once again, my bad.

To all my reviewers, thank alesi258 for this update. Her wonderful reviews inspired COUGHguiltCOUGH me into writing this next chapter.

Quick note: I will not involve the Muddlefoots in this fic. Why? Because I don't like them. Never have. Dunno why. They'll make an appearance, but they will not affect the storyline. There is a bigger conspiracy at hand here than just Drake and Gos' relationship. (Cue ominous music here.)

Anyhoo, R/R!


	4. Realization

They were to meet on the roof. The orphanage was too small to hold so many children and many of the older ones had to find other imaginable places to sleep. The bathtub was big enough to hold two kids, the kitchen table accommodated six, the class room can hold fourteen and, on nicer nights, the vegetable garden can comfortably hold five. So many children in so many places risked Darkwing being spotted. The roof was the best place to be.

He got there fifteen minutes early. Gosalyn was already there waiting for him.

"Bout time you got here," Gosalyn grumbled. "I could feel myself _aging._"

Darkwing didn't speak at first. He didn't know how to say this. His eyes went to the ground, almost in shame of what he was about to say. "Gos-"

"I brought everything I think I need," Gosalyn interrupted him. She took off her yellow backpack and opened it. Digging around inside, she talked thoughtlessly. "I got most of my clothes, my shoes, my favorite comic books-"

"Gos-"

"The marbles I won from Danny, my hair bands, my math book…why the hell did I bring this along?"

"Gos," Darkwing grasped her by the shoulders. "Listen to me…I-I'm not bringing you with me."

It took a second or two for what Darkwing said to dawn on Gosalyn. Darkwing could see her face slowly shift from a soft surprised look to a sudden, confused horror. She gave a half hearted smile, trying to play it off as a joke. "Ha, ha. Very funny, Dad."

"No, no, it's not a joke. What I've learned in the past few days showed me that I can't be a father. I can't be _your _father."

The grin disappeared from her face. Her eyes welled up with tears and she tried desperately to hold them back. "Why? Was it something I said or did-"

"No honey," He pulled her into a hug. He could feel her grabbing hold of his costume, her whole body shaking. "My life is too complicated to give you a normal home. A normal life."

"I don't want normal!" She screamed against him. "I don't need normal!"

"I can't be there for you, Gos," Darkwing knew nothing he said would make her understand. She will understand one day, many years from now. And she would hate him for it. "How many times did I miss dinner? How many times did I have to leave you alone in house for days? I can't be there for you always Gos. You deserve more.

"I'm so sorry," He kept saying to her, wishing he could take it all back. "If I was only there that night. If only I was there instead of Launchpad-"

Gosalyn suddenly shoved herself away from Darkwing. "Don't you dare!" She spat violently at him. "Don't you dare blame this on Launchpad. What happened was an accident."

Darkwing smiled weakly. Glad to know that nothing, not even this tragic event in her life, will subdue her strong nature. He did not have the heart to tell her he had already dismissed Launchpad.

He did not reach out to touch her again. Instead, he stood up to leave. "Goodbye Gosalyn. I wish you happiness."

"Just go," She said to him. "It's what you're good at."

He wanted to hug her, give her one last kiss goodbye. That, however, would be too cruel. Resisting that urge, he jumped over the ledge of the orphanage roof without a glance back.

How did things get to be like this? How did it happen? Drake thought the hardest thing to do as a father would be to take Gosalyn to get her first training bra. Her first date. Trying to find her an apartment. Never once, did he think he would have to give her up.

He would give up everything else, just to be with her.

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A week later, Drake sold his house.

Once he had filled the hidden tunnels with cement and rock, he placed up a 'For Sale' sign. The house itself was ruined, but the support beams and untouched plumbing made the house ideal for buyers who wanted a 'fixer-upper.' The large yard and perfect family location made the deal extra sweet and the house sold within days. Drake wanted nothing to do with the house any longer. He didn't want to know how many people fought for it, how much they bargained for it, or who bought it. The money will be sent into his account and that was that.

He moved into an apartment not far from headquarters. He was one of many unmarried men in that complex. Most of his neighbors did nothing but drink all day and most of the women spent their time inside. Drake found this animosity to be quite an advantage. He could sneak out and in without anybody noticing or caring.

Work certainly got easier. He didn't have to worry about coming home at a certain time or care if he came home smelling of sweat and blood. He was a bachelor again. He didn't have to care about anybody else but himself.

He hated every minute of it.

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Not much would change in the next four months. As Summer slowly shifted to Fall, the leaves changed color, animals went into hibernation and people began wearing thicker clothing. Criminals react to the weather too; nobody wants to rob a bank on a cold day.

It didn't mean Drake pushed Gosalyn out of his mind forever. In the beginning, he thought about her often, mostly in a guilt ridden attitude. He would spend quite number of hours each day going over in his head the fire, the trial, and the moment on the rooftop. He would often make himself sick, having horrible headaches or becoming unable to eat. The weeks that followed, he began to function for a few hours without something suddenly reminding him of his daughter. At night though, when he had nothing to keep his mind off, he held a small photo of hers and stared at it for long endless periods.

Miss Griffin still came by about once every three weeks, picking up letters or Gosalyn's bank statements. Drake gave the mail over without a fight or discussion.

In the middle of the second month, without prompt or push, he would notice himself doing odd things. Sometimes he would be in a clothing store and find himself in the little girl section, looking over new shirts or shoes. One time, he actually bought a blue blouse, walked out the store and painfully remembered. He returned the blouse, muttering an off-handed apology to the person who just ranged it up for him. "Wrong size," was his excuse. Other times, it would be shoes. Other times, it would be possible Christmas presents. On the anniversary of the third month, he came home with a music glass box. He decided instead of returning it, he thought he could give it to Miss Griffin, hoping she in turn, would give to Gosalyn anonymous. When he tried to wrap it in a pretty purple wrapping, the box fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. He cried for thirty minutes after that.

Halloween was only a few days away and Drake made the mistake of buying a large bag of candy. His 'neighborhood' had only maybe half a dozen kids to speak of. He couldn't return it because he already opened the bag and had a few small pieces of chocolate.

As the devilish day came closer, people out in the street were already wearing their costumes. Some wore simple costumes, like eye masks and head dresses. Other wore full blown costumes: Scarlett O'Hara dresses, Geisha outfits, zombie costumes with artificial rotting flesh and blood. These freaks would spend the whole day in-character, acting out everyday situations much to the annoyance of everyone. This gave Darkwing the freedom to walk out in open public without somebody hounding him.

And to his horror, found out a local store started selling "Darkwing Duck" costumes cheap.

Unfortunately, even on this special day, Darkwing worked overtime. Halloween had the power to attract the weirdos and the freaks from all corners of the city. Darkwing spent most of the night stopping adolescent idiots from egging houses, graffiti, or harassing the younger kids for their candy. A few drunken party goers vandalized local shops and pranksters left flaming brown bags on people's front step.

All misdemeanors. It kept Darkwing miserably busy. He would argue that the police could handle most of these fools, but he was afraid some drunk might throw a Molotov cocktail into a house full of people or some teenager might want to reenact an urban legend. By the time he got back to headquarters Halloween was over for three hours.

He took off his sweat filled hat and threw it in some random corner. He unbuttoned his jacket but didn't bother to take it off. He flopped down on his pink kitchen chairs, moaning into his arms as he let his whole body relax. He was content to fall asleep in that awkward position.

His nostrils picked up the scent of coffee. He grudgingly picked up his head and saw a fresh pot brewing on the counter.

"Hey, DW."

It was Launchpad.

He looked like hell. He lost a considerable amount of weight and his hunch back did not help. There were dark bags underneath his eyes and he seemed to be very tired. He held a small sad smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.

The memories of that fiery night came back to Drake. Could he forgive Launchpad? If it wasn't for him, Gosalyn would still be here. Their lives wouldn't have been turned upside down. Could he welcome him back? Could he forgive him?

Drake smiled. He found, he already has.

Was it because of Gos' scolding or because Drake did truly forgive him? Either way, it didn't manner. He was glad to see Launchpad. He was glad to see his old friend.

He invited him to sit down. Poured a cup of coffee. They made small talk.

"I got a job as a parking attendant," Launchpad was explaining what he had been doing with himself these past four months. "Pay wasn't well, but I made do."

"Hmm…" Drake sighed into his cup. The conversation was cheap and boring. Both of them knew what they really wanted to discuss. Out of respect for each other, they continued on with the small talk for a few minutes longer.

There was a quiet pause. Both of them waited for the other to break the silence. Launchpad spoke first.

"So what happened?"

It took two more cups of coffee for Drake to explain the full situation. What happened after Launchpad left, why he did it, when he did it, what happened afterward. Launchpad stayed quiet during the conversation, only muttering the occasional grunt or "Mhhm."

"Did I do the right thing, Launchpad? I think I did, but something…" He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't know how to express his feelings.

"That's something I cannot answer, D," Drake noted Launchpad called him by his old nickname. Up until now, he called him 'Drake.' "It sounds like you did the right thing. It makes sense. But growing up as an orphan isn't an easy thing. I know…because I am an orphan."

Drake placed down his mug. His eyes widen. "You're an orphan? I never knew."

"I don't tell many people," Launchpad said with a sad smile. "My real parents were killed in a car accident when I was eight. Because I was big for my age, a lot of people though I was fifteen. That is a big problem for orphans."

Drake frowned. "I don't see how looking a little older should be a problem."

"When you think about it, it's perfectly logical, despite how crude and mean it is."

"Mean?" Usually Drake would have just stayed quiet and listened, but this applied to Gosalyn.

"People don't want _used goods,_" He went on to explain, with a rather sore look on his face. "If the kid is too fat, too short, too skinny, too dark, too light, too tall; think of a reason a person doesn't want a kid, and I've heard it. The major deciding factor is age.

"If the orphan is a baby, they have the largest chance of being adopted. But as soon as the kid is over ten years old, you might as well give up on the kid."

"I don't understand."

"Who does? I think it's because adults don't want a kid whose personality is already set. They want to shape 'em into a smaller version of themselves."

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The conversation went from the kitchen table, to the hanger, and finally outside. The cold November air weakened their coffee and chilled them to the bone. At this point, both had nothing else to say.

"So where do we go from here?"

Drake poured the remains of his cold coffee over the edge of his headquarters, into the churning bay far below. "Do what we have always done. Protect the city. Stop criminals," He shrugged. "The usual."

"D', I need to say this," Lauchpad suddenly said.

"I don't need to hear it."

"Please!" He begged. "I've been thinking about that night every day. And I always asked myself, why did I leave the oven on? Why didn't I check on the pizza?"

Drake wished he shut up. He knew all Launchpad wanted was to get this off his chest, but Drake feared if he started spewing out reasons why Gosalyn was lost that night, Drake would blame him all over again.

"If I had only kept an eye out, or rechecked how much gas was coming through, or kept my mouth shut in court-"

Something Launchpad said caught Drake's attention. "Wait. What did you say?"

"I said if I had only wore my lucky underwear that day-"

"Not that! You said something about gas!"

"Oh. We're outside so I thought it would be okay to let one rip-"

"I'm talking about the oven!"

"Oh," Launchpad turned red. "I was told the reason the house caught fire was because I left the gas in the oven too high."

Drake's eyes went wide. His mouth dropped. For a moment he couldn't speak. He was too stunned by this sudden realization.

"D?" Launchpad said cautiously. "You okay?"

Drake snapped out of his shock. Buttoned up his coat and went back inside for his hat.

"D?" Launchpad said again. "What's up?"

Darkwing dusted off his hat and repositioned it on his head. With dark eyes, he said, "You said the fire started because of the gas oven. There's only one problem with that. We didn't have a gas oven."

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A/N: Um, yeah. This chapter was really hard to write. There was stuff I thought was strong, some stuff I thought was weak. I might rewrite it, but I know I'm just lying to myself at this point.

Just like how I'm always saying I'll exercise or study. Ha!

Anyhoo, small chapter coming up next. Hope you liked this one. If not, then tell me how I can improve! I mean it. (But be gentle! I bruise easily.)

Anyhoo, R/R!


	5. Conspiracy

A/N: Quite a few reviewers pointed out that Launchpad's parents are still alive. I maintain the fact that you guys are all liars.

I'm kidding! I do read the summaries for DWD, but you gotta realize I am going to let some info slip past my fingers. So please forgive me if I overlook certain information. It's not on purpose, I promise you!

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In reality, what Launchpad said was probably just a mistake. He heard it wrong or someone gave him the wrong information.

Still, something _told _Darkwing he shouldn't ignore this.

_Why though? _It just didn't make any sense. Who would go through all that trouble just to separate Gosalyn from him? To see him in pain? Most of his villains rather just kill him and be done with it. The person behind this, is he/she even after him? Is he/she after Gosalyn?

Breaking and entering wasn't new to the dark vigilante. He did this often to obtain evidence police left behind at crime scenes or to spy on his enemies. However, he believed this was the first time he ever broke into a government building.

If he was caught, he will be charged with a federal offense.

The Bureau of Child Protection never closes. Late at night there are certainly less employees. Most were people who handled the phone in case a client called.

Did not mean this made Darkwing's job any easier. Ten stories high, Darkwing scaled the brick building with considerable difficulty. He did not know exactly how many people were inside. Every time he paused by a window still for a breather, without fail, someone would come out of an office or bathroom. He would have to throw himself down on the small ledge till the person left.

Cold and aching, it took Darkwing twenty-three minutes to scale up to the fifteenth floor. He knew at the corner window on the far right side of the building was Griffin's office.

The light was off (always a good thing) and a quick look showed no activity. Griffin must have left for home hours ago.

It took him a few good minutes to pick the lock on the window. There would be no alarm, nobody places alarms on the windows this high in the buildings.

He climbed into the dark office as quietly as possible, quickly closing the window behind him. He didn't want the breeze to blow off any important papers.

He went straight for the file cabinet. He picked the lock expertly, pausing every couple of seconds to listen for stray sounds. Lest he be found by a passing janitor.

Even though Gosalyn was legally not his child anymore, she still carried his last name. Darkwing flipped through the M's, searching for her file.

"Mac…Malick…Mall…here we go…Mallard…" He pulled the file out with a triumphant grin.

The light switch went on.

The triumphant grin left.

"You!" Griffin cried out, staring at the purple suit wearing duck. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly Darkwing wished he didn't close the window. He could have easily thrown himself out and saved himself a buttload of trouble. He had very little options. The window was not locked, he can still throw himself out, but by then Griffin could cry out for help. She saw him at the file cabinet, she'll notice the missing file and put two and two together.

He could knock her out. Do the whole Vulcan death grip bit. Except he didn't know how to do that.

Then Griffin did the unthinkable. _She closed the door behind her._

"What do you need?" She asked him, folding her arms.

Darkwing was taken back. This…he was not expecting. "Uh?" He said dumbly.

Griffin sighed in annoyance. "Is that the file you need, or is there something in the computer I have to open?"

Did he walk onto the set of _The Twilight Zone? _Was this really Griffin, the evil anal social worker he was talking to?

"What file do you have there?" She came over and snatched the file out of Darkwing's hands. He was too stunned to resist. "Mallard, Gosalyn…why do you have her file for? The case is closed."

That slapped some sense back into Darkwing. Almost stumbling over his own words, he told her in the most professional tone he could muster, "I have reason to believe somebody may be after her."

Griffin's mouth opened and closed silently. Then her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "No…nobody should have found out…" She muttered to herself.

"No, nobody should have found out what?" Darkwing asked her. "What are you talking about?"

Griffin pulled out a clump of paper from the file and gave it to him. Still stunned, Darkwing took the stack. Should he question her about her ethics of giving away important papers to some freak wearing a costume?

He read off the top of the page. _The Last Will and Testament of Janice and Fred Waddlemeyer._

Holy crap. This is Gosalyn's parents' will.

He quickly skimmed through the will, trying to pinpoint any possible reason why somebody may be after Gosalyn.

Unfortunately for him, Gos' parents got VERY specific about who got what. Every piece of china, every book, every single item apparently in the Waddlemeyer's home went to a specific person or place. They gave their books to the library. They gave their paintings to the museum. They sold their china pieces and expected the money to go to charity.

The will went on for fifteen pages. After four pages of worthless rambling, Darkwing found nothing that related to Gosalyn.

"What am I looking for?" He had to ask Griffin.

Griffin flipped to the very last page of the will and pointed out a small paragraph at the bottom.

It read: _And to our daughter Gosalyn, we leave her- _

_**2.3 Million Dollars.**_

Darkwing did a double take. Then a triple take. He blinked, rubbed his eyes and looked at the page again, making sure he was reading it right.

_**2.3 Million Dollars.**_

"_WHAT!" _Darkwing spat out. "Two point three…is even possible to have that much money?"

Griffin slumped into her chair. "Now you understand my situation."

Darkwing paused. He had no idea his daughter has that much money. He didn't know there was even a will. "Does Gosalyn know about this? Does she know she's worth over two million dollars?"

"The problem is, because Gosalyn is underage, she will not obtain the money until she is eighteen years old. To make matters worse, since she is an orphan, we can't let that information out to every Tom, Dick, or Harry that walks through that door. Or else everyTom, Dick, or Harry _will _walk through that door."

"I don't understand," Darkwing began to pace. "Does her father know she is to obtain this money?"

"Nobody knows except for the Judge and me. In the past when adoptive parents learned their step-kids had huge inheritance money, they would _kill _the kids. It didn't matter how long the parents had. Some even went so far to keep the kid for a couple of years before killing them, just to throw the police off. So nowadays, we keep this type of information quiet until the child becomes of age."

"The fire," Darkwing said suddenly. "Did you suspect Drake Mallard of foul play?"

Griffin did not flinch when she said, "Of course we did."

"Then why didn't you charge Mallard with conspiracy to perform murder?"

"Because then we would have to admit why. We would have to share the Waddlemeyer's will. For Gosalyn's safety, we can't risk that. So…we took another route."

"By calling Mallard a-"

"We did what we had to," Griffin snapped at him. "Our highest priority is the child. Anything else is collateral damage."

Collateral damage she says. Darkwing felt like he could strangle her, but she had a point. As anal, cold hearted, pain-in-the-butt she was, she is basically a good person.

He still didn't like her.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Darkwing finally said. "Do you tell all masked vigilantes your clients' secrets?"

She pursed her lips thinly. Her eyes went to the side. "You probably don't remember this…but about two years ago an apartment building caught on fire near the city limits."

She was right. He didn't remember that.

"My son and I were trapped on the top floor. Firefighters couldn't get to us and I thought we were going to die," She looked at him. "You saved us. You got both me and my son out of that burning inferno. And when you left, I notice your back was burned."

Darkwing blinked as that memory suddenly came back to him. She, he didn't remember. He recalled spending the next few months in total agony. He still had the scars to prove it.

"You're my son's hero. And despite it goes everything I stand for, I do trust you. You may be a bumbling idiot, but I think you can help."

Did she just insult him while complimenting him? "…Thanks?"

They went into silence. Darkwing took this moment to go over all the information in his head.

Somebody knew Gosalyn is meant to inherit a butt-load of money.

Somebody knew Drake had adopted Gosalyn.

Somebody knew Launchpad was a close family friend.

Somebody started that fire.

Somebody placed fake evidence for the authorities to find.

Somebody knew Gosalyn was going to be taken away.

Which left to only one conclusion: _Somebody is going to kidnap Gosalyn._

Darkwing went to the window. "I gotta go the orphanage. Gosalyn could be in danger right now."

"She's not at the orphanage," Griffin said to him. Darkwing stopped in his tracks.

"If she's not…then where is she?"

She pulled out another stack of papers from the file. "Adopted," She said simply, passing over the papers to him. "By a Mr. Blake Aves. Papers became final only three weeks ago."

Darkwing snatched the papers out of her hands frantically. They were official adoptive papers, all stamped and signed. There was even a photo of the guy.

He looked a lot like Launchpad. Large pronounced chin, thick shapely chest and hair so black it resembled velvet. The only thing that this guy and Launchpad did not share was Launchpad's warm eyes. This guy gave Darkwing the heebie-jeebies.

"You let _this _guy adopt Gosalyn?" Darkwing said baffled. "He looks like the poster child for the America's next serial killer."

"His credentials checked out. No history of violence, no criminal past. He does not know about Gosalyn's inheritance and even if he did, it would not matter."

"Why?"

"Because Mr. Aves is a millionaire himself. He does not need the money."

Darkwing leaned on the window still. One hand holding the adoption papers, the other rubbing the headache that was coming. Once again, nothing made sense. His lead suspect suddenly became his most unlikely suspect. It took him a moment to bring up images of Aves in his mind, but he did. He knew Aves was a millionaire. He had heard his name occasionally during giant charity balls the city throws every couple of months. Why go through all the trouble to adopt Gos if he could make that much money in a month?

Still…something told him he shouldn't leave this alone.

Griffin broke the silence. "Do you believe Aves is dangerous?"

Darkwing frowned. He had no evidence, he had no motive, he had no reason to suspect Aves. Perhaps he was just another lonely guy who wanted a child of his own. Who says only women get maternal instincts? And Drake couldn't ask for a better person to take care of Gos. A rich man who can give her anything she wanted; a great education, a guarantee college degree, a secured job, a respectable title in the world.

His gut was screaming at him.

"Yes," Darkwing finally said. "I don't know why, but I do believe Aves is dangerous."

Griffin quietly observed him before saying, "Okay then. What do you want me to do?"

"Do?"

"Yes, do," She snapped at him. "Geez, I would think you be on top of this."

She wanted to help him? Tonight was just full of surprises.

"Are you sure you want to help me? You could get in a lot of trouble-"

"What did I say? The child comes first. Everything else, _including me _is collateral damage."

"But your son-"

"He'll be taken care of. Either by my ex-husband, my four sisters, my two brothers, my fourteen cousins or my best friend. Now will you stop stalling and tell me what to do?"

This woman was scary. And he's seen some pretty freaky things. After all, he's been to the Negaverse and back, he's died before, he battled alien space creatures, yet nothing scared him more than this woman. He should put her in costume and send her to fight crime.

_The most dangerous place in the world is between a mother and her child._

Very true.

"Okay…" Darkwing said, trying to figure out what he could use her influences for. "I need Aves financial records. Does he have any unusual debts? Does he gamble a lot? Has any of his companies gone under in the past few years? I need…any police records on him. Parking tickets, jury duty, has he ever been suspect of fraud? I also need a list of names of close contacts. I want to know if they have any financial trouble."

"Done," Griffin said without hesitation. "How shall I contact you once I get everything?"

"Don't. I'll contact you. So if you get caught, you can say I stole everything."

Darkwing went to the window, opened it and paused before leaping out dramatically. "Hey…thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," She said, shrugging his thanks off. "But I gotta know; why the special interest in Mallard?"

Darkwing panicked for a split second.

_Holy crap! She knows who I am!_

He played it cool. "He's my friend."

He jumped out the window. He pulled out his grappling gun, shot off the hook. It struck a corner, went taunt and he soared into the night.

Griffin watched him with fascination as he disappeared behind a building. Leaning on one hand, she sighed, "Why are all the good ones always…tch, enough of this. I got work to do." She closed the window, making the effort to leave it unlocked and went to her computer. She had a long night ahead of her.

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A/N: Wow, could you believe I wrote this in one day? Wow! I have no life! Dies a little inside.

Anyhoo! To alesi275: I love your reviews. I seriously do. You make me feel smarter when I read them. And sometimes dumber, because I have re-read them to fully understand. You give me too much credit, you seriously do.

And don't worry, I call all my peeps girls. Why? Because I'm an asshole, that's why. Ha ha! But yes, DW could go back living in the tower, but Drake Mallard cannot just suddenly disappear off the map. Griffin still has to collect Gos' mail and stuff. And trust me, this whole conspiracy thing is going to blow up DW's face. Just when you think you figured it all out, I'll pull the rug from underneath you and then point and laugh.

And sorry…No Honker. He'll make an appearance at the last chapter, but he won't be in this fic. Sorry. He should be in here, but he won't.

Anyhoo! R/R!


	6. Reunion

A/N: Sorries about the long hiatus. Writing this chapter was long and hard and unfortunately, things are going to get harder. This year was just so crazy!

Hope you enjoy! R/R!

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"You've got to be kidding me…" Darkwing flipped the pages in his hands over and over again, making sure he didn't miss anything. "This is it?"

Griffin raised her hands in defeat. "The guy's cleaner than a whistle. There isn't so much of a _parking ticket._"

"Now that's just impossible! I have at least fourtee-" Suddenly remembering whom he was talking to, Darkwing coughed and squeaked out, "…Four in the past two years."

Griffin clucked her tongue. "Uh-uh. Now what I've shown you here is all the official documents and legal records. _But," _She handed him a few pieces of yellow and pink papers. "These are the names of the other children Aves had shown interest in."

_Ash Wilson. Age: 7. Both parents perished in fire at age of three months._

_Claire Grayson. Age 10: Mother died from liver disease. Father unknown._

_Jerry Heimer. Age 6. Father in asylum. Mother unknown._

_Chris Poole. Age 6. Parents give up child as soon as they found out Chris is deaf._

Griffin was kind enough to supply pictures of the children. All four of them were cute as a button. As he stared at Chris Poole, a cute little brown haired kid with crooked teeth, Darkwing could not believe his parents gave him up because he was deaf. What kind of stupid reason is that?

"The odd thing was," Griffin broke into his thoughts. "Aves showed the most interest in Chris Poole. For the longest time, Chris's caretaker thought Aves was going to adopt him. There wasn't any real official talk about adoption papers…"

Darkwing waited to hear the unsaid 'But.'

"…But…?"

"For some odd reason- just when we were going to demand Aves to either seriously consider adopting Chris or keep his distance- Aves lost all interest in Chris."

"Any idea why?"

Griffin shrugged her shoulders. "None. Then three months later, out of the blue, he adopted Gosalyn."

Darkwing gawked at her. "And you just let him- even after all that BS he pulled with that kid?"

Griffin had the courtesy to look disgusted with herself, still, she defended her reasons. "Every potential parent has their biases. They reject kids for the dumbest of reasons. Too fat, too short, too dark-"

_-Too light, too tall. Think of a reason a person doesn't want a kid and I've heard them. _Darkwing swallows the truth of Launchpad's words with great difficulty.

"It's impossible to get around these biases. So we try to do the best than we can. Unless we have some probable reason to believe the parent is dangerous, by law, we are to give these children to the parents who want them."

Disgusted, Darkwing threw the pages down on Griffin's desk. He sighed. Yes, Aves behavior was queer, but according to Griffin, _everyone _acts queer when selecting out a child. Even after two weeks of research, he had yet to find anything remotely suspicious of Aves. "We're missing something…" He muttered into his fist. "Something we're not seeing."

And as if a light bulb suddenly lit up over his head, he had an idea.

"When are you planning a home visit?" He asked the confused social worker.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

It was impossible to overlook Aves Tower. It sat directly in the middle of the city and it was larger than any of the buildings surrounding it. Yet Darkwing could not believe that after all the years he's spent here, he had never really took a good look at it.

It was overwhelming.

Griffin stood next to him, that stoic cold look he knew so well plastered over her face. Even though this visit was not aimed at him, he still felt nervous standing next to her. She is one woman he definitely did not wish to cross with.

Before entering the large ominous building, Darkwing readjusted the spirit-gum beard on his face. The beard was hot- despite it they were well into Fall now- and itchy and all he wanted to do was rip the stupid thing off.

He couldn't. Unless he wanted Griffin to know his secret identity. He trusted the woman with many things, but he didn't know if he can trust her with that.

They strutted up into the building. Darkwing kept his silence as the female social worker flashed her golden badge at the receptionist. Within seconds a private elevator opened to them. Aves' home was on the top floor.

"I'll distract Aves as long as I can," Griffin told him as the elevator slowly made its way up to the top. "But Gosalyn is officially Aves' child now. That means he has privacy rights and I cannot- _we _cannot overstep them or else I could be fired or the services sued."

"I understand," Darkwing muttered, still fingering his beard.

"And stop playing with that! You're giving me the creeps!"

Immediately Darkwing's hand went limp as the doors to the elevator opened. He took in a deep breath of air as he saw his new surroundings.

It was absolutely beautiful. The palace of Versailles had nothing on this place. Darkwing could only imagine how much one lamp in here was worth-

He frowned. When he bought a new couch for the living room, Gosalyn made it her mission to see how many summersaults she could make off of it. None of this furniture even looked like it hasn't even been _sat _on. So why- why had not Gos taken full advantage of that?

That was when Launchpad's evil twin appeared.

"Miss Griffin!' The tall lumbering man said with a grin. Griffin shook hands with him, her own dwarfed by his. "This is my assistant, Richard," Griffin introduced Darkwing. "He'll be helping me today."

"Of course!" Darwking was surprised Aves was not at all perturbed by his presence. "The more the merrier!"

"Where's Gosalyn?" Griffin asked, getting straight to the point.

"She's upstairs. She's getting dressed."

Darkwing looked up towards the stairs. In a few moments, he knew Gosalyn was going to come barreling out of that hallway at top speeds, her hair up in pigtails and her feet stomping loudly. Darkwing knew she was going to jump onto that banister, slide down at top speeds before jumping off and attempt to do a summersault at the end.

Darkwing could picture it so clearly in his mind. He was surprised how easily the image came to him. He resisted the little smirk that twitched on the corners of his beak.

It never happened. At the top of the stairs, a small slow moving shadow appeared. Followed closely behind was the owner, a young girl in a fluffy pink dress.

Gosalyn.

Darkwing took in a hiss of air as he looked at her. She didn't look like…_her. _It was more than just the pink dress- oh no, Drake on more than one occasional forced her in such formal wear. It was expression she wore on her face, it was her body language. She wasn't scowling, stomping her feet or muttering soft swear words. No…Gosalyn was smiling politely.

When she got to the stairs, instead of jumping upon the banister with glee, she delicately placed her hand on the banister, lifted her dress to prevent her feet from tangling in them and began to decent with soft steps.

Darkwing was downright horrified. This was NOT Gosalyn.

Gosalyn walked up next to Aves with careful grace, curling her small hand into Aves's large hand. "Hello Miss Griffin," She said with such politeness it made Darkwing gag.

When he eyes turned towards Darkwing, he felt himself stiffen. He knew she recognized him. She did not smile, smirk, or offer any sense of affection towards him. "Hello," She said to him with the same stiff politeness.

"Well now…" Aves drew them into the study. "Shall we have some tea?"

The study, like the rest of the house, was more grand than Darkwing could ever imagined. He wasn't sure if he could call it a study- Aves should rename it 'The Library of Congress.'

They sat down. Gosalyn, instead of throwing herself into the chair then scrambling across the table to grab the cookies available, she calmly sat herself down and made no move towards the confections. Darkwing was downright stunned.

Griffin took out her little notebook and went straight to work. "So tell me Gosalyn, how is your schoolwork going along?"

"Wonderfully," The girl spoke for the very first time. "The tutors father hired are very informant and I am learning a lot."

It took everything Darkwing had not to gape. Wonderfully? Tutors? Informant? It was a downright battlefield every night for Drake to teach Gosalyn a little math. He had to practically tie her to a chair just to keep her still for an hour.

"Are you eating right? Not too many treats, mmhhm?"

Aves laughed. "Oh no, Gosalyn eats all her vegetables. I'm surprised too; I thought I was going have to fight her tooth and nail with every meal."

Darkwing could feel himself flush. _He _had to fight tooth and nail for Gosalyn to finish her vegetables. Heck, just even for her to finish her milk was a battle by itself.

He didn't like this one bit. Although throughout the whole conversation there was nothing that indicated foul play, the way Gosalyn acted so… passive was not right. It was as if the sun suddenly became the color purple and pennies fell out of the sky. To see Gosalyn in a dress should have tipped the natural laws of nature itself. The girl didn't even take a second cookie when offered.

"Well Mr. Aves, I believe I asked all the needed questions," Griffin shut her notebook and stood. "Now it's time for me to tour the premises. Gosalyn, please stay here with Richard while I go with your father."

Darkwing flinched at the word 'father' but was grateful to the woman. She was giving him a chance to be alone with his daughter. Before she left the room, Griffin threw Darkwing a deep glare while mouthing the words, _Don't muck this up._

Actually she said something completely different, but he let his interpretation be 'muck.'

"Would you like to see the gardens?" Gosalyn asked him with that overly politeness.

He resisted twisting his face in distaste. "Sure."

He followed her silently. She led him outside to the roof of the illustrious building where bushes of roses, mounds of tulips, dozens of daffodils and a hedge maze were erected all around them. Darkwing was trying to think of innocent questions to ask Gosalyn when she suddenly turned around to face him.

"What do you think you're doing here?" She hissed.

Darkwing sighed. She could always look through his disguises. "Gos-"

"Don't call me that!" She spat. "You lost all right to call me that!"

She was angry. Of course she was angry. She had every right to be angry. "What do you want?"

Darkwing has never seen her so angry at him before. It unnerved him. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm great! I'm fine! It's not everyday I get adopted then recanted as if I was a dog-"

"Gosalyn…"

"And then adopted again only to find out I'm being _stalked!" _She glared at him.

He frowned. "Sorry. Stupid question."

She placed her hands on her hips, taking a pose Darkwing so often see her take. It was familiar and he missed it. The dress ruined it though. "What do you want? What are you here for?"

Darkwing sighed. She wouldn't take anything less than the truth. "I'm investigating Aves."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I have reason to believe he might be dangerous. There's evidence of foul play and I think he's involved with the burning of our house."

Gosalyn stared at him, her beak in a deep frown. When she spoke, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "Haven't you done enough? Wasn't it bad enough I lost my home, my name in less than a month? Wasn't it bad enough that I was told- yet again- I wasn't wanted? That I was nothing more than a pet project?"

"You were never-!"

"Now- now _Dad," _She spat. "I have a chance to be happy. To be with a father who actually WANTS me. And I am going to do whatever it takes to keep things that way, even if it means I have to wear these stupid dresses or eat my stupid vegetables. Do you even have any hard evidence that my father is the one to blame for the fire?"

It was like a stab to the heart. "No."

She turned her back on him. "Leave. I don't ever want to see your face again."

Darkwing wanted to cry, he wanted to scoop Gosalyn up in his arms and tell her everything's going to be all right- that she can be whoever she wants to be.

But he did none of those things. Was it the truth? She was right; he didn't have any real evidence that Aves was to blame for the fire or even if he was remotely involved. All he had was some shakey evidence and a gut feeling.

Before he turned to leave, Darkwing eyed Gosalyn's pink froo-froo dress. Not even he dared dress the girl in that thing. It was girly beyond girly. And this is how he felt, he wondered how she felt.

Sometimes gut feelings were all he had.

"You know…" He started, throwing the words casually over his shoulder. "I apparently have a new arch enemy."

He waited for a response. There was none.

"He wore a bright red kung fu outfit…"

Gosalyn shifted her weight.

"He carried weapons like ninja throwing stars and swords."

Another shift weight.

"And I admit he was a good fighter. But take away his glasses and he's blind as a bat."

A strange sound came from the girl. Almost like a whimper.

"He is only a little taller than you. He calls himself, 'Ying-Yang, the master of all chi'."

That broke the dam. Gosalyn slapped her hands over her beak as a loud snort burst through. Her face turned red and unable to hold it in anymore, she lost all composure.

"HOO HA HA HA! THE MASTER OF ALL…HA HA HA HA! WHAT AN IDIOT! THAT'S GOTTA BE THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER…BWA HA HA HA HA!"

Darkwing was grinning. "He almost decapitated me but as soon as I got hold of his glasses, he went down on all fours trying to find them."

This only made Gosalyn laugh harder. She clutched her stomach, tears streaming down her face. Darkwing then went into great detail about how Ying Yang said 'please' asking for his glasses back. Glasses which he still has in his possession.

"No more!" Gosalyn begged. "No more…my stomach hurts…"

Darkwing merely grinned as Gosalyn composed herself, wiping away the tears on her face. When she looked up at him, she was smiling. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"I've missed hearing it."

She nodded then looked to her fidgeting hands. "I miss this. This feels normal to me. Not…not this," She slapped her dress.

"Oh Gosalyn," Darkwing went down on his knees. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that all of this happened. I thought I was doing the right thing. But," He then cupped her chin, raising her head to look at him. "Then I realized being with you is the right thing. Despite what the courts say."

She trembled, then suddenly threw herself at him. "I miss _you _dad. I've missed you so much!"

Darkwing returned the hug with the same ferocity. "I miss you too Gos. More than you know."

When they pulled apart, Gosalyn wiped at her face. "Gee, thanks for getting me all blubbery. As if I didn't want to be any more girly."

"Yeah, I think that dress brings the point across just fine."

She groaned. "Whose bright idea was to make this dress? This isn't a dress, it's a tutu with frills."

Darkwing laughed. Gods it felt good.

"So uh…" Gosalyn looked around. "Are you really here investigating Fath- I mean, Mr. Aves?"

Darkwing nodded. "I don't have any evidence pointing to Aves, but his actions as of late are…questionable. Tell me Gos, has he done anything suspicious or odd lately?"

"Not really. I mean," She shrugged. "He's nice. He says hello and makes sure that the maids clean my room and such…"

"But…?"

"That's it. He doesn't hug, he doesn't tuck me in, the other day I accidentally broke a dish. And did you know what he did? Nothing. He didn't yell, he didn't look angry or concerned or even asked if I was all right. He just told one of the butlers to clean it up. He doesn't bother me…but it feels like…I don't know. He's not like you. I don't feel rejected but I don't feel…"

"Wanted?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I feel like I'm a guest in his house, not his daughter."

"Hmmm…"

Darkwing wasn't sure how to take that. Griffin told him Aves was practically spending all of his time selecting out a child. Now that he has one, why wasn't he treating her with all the love and affection a father should? When Darkwing first brought Gosalyn home, he was so nervous about the little things. If she was warm enough, if she was cool enough, if had enough to eat…

Why was this man keeping his distance?

"I don't know," Gosalyn sighed, tugging disdainfully at her bow pigtails. "I think maybe he's just nervous about running for mayor-"

"Wait, what?"

"Running for mayor," She said again. "I overheard him talk on the phone with one of his clients. He plans to run for mayor next year."

Darkwing frowned. Griffin hadn't told him Aves was running for office. She should have told him!

Unless… unless she didn't know. But why wouldn't she?

"What? What is it?" Gosalyn eagerly moved in closer. Darkwing had to laugh. Even now, his superhero status still impressed her through and through. No matter how old she got, she will still find him fascinating.

"Look, Gosalyn, I need you to listen to me very closely. At the moment, I don't believe Aves is a threat to you. But that doesn't mean I trust him. I don't. Something is up and I think this goes beyond anything I've encountered before. I need you to look out for his suspicious behavior, keep your distance and don't hesitate to call Miss Griffin if you feel in any way you're in danger."

Gosalyn made a face. "Griffin? I don't like her-"

"I know. She's a jerk, but she can be trusted. She has your best interests at heart. Promise me you'll call."

"I promise," She grinned up at him. "So…uh…I like the 'stache. Makes you look…uglier than before."

He smirked back at her. "I like the dress. Remind me to buy you more after all of this is done."

She chuckled. "If I can live with you after all of this is done, you can buy me any damn dress you want."

"Language!"

()

A/N: Does anybody have an idea what's going on? Take a guess!

Read and review peeps!


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